One of our clients wanted us to create and facilitate a talent development program for young potentials. The board loved our approach and wanted the program to kick-off as soon as possible. But some key questions had remained unanswered: “What should this program accomplish for the business? What key issue should it help solve and what business impact and value would that have?”. It was an awkward moment, to be honest, to rewind the process when we had been granted the project.The board shared their concern. At the first leadership and equivalent specialist level only about 40% were promoted from within the company, the majority was recruited, which was both costly and not very sustainable. To be successful at any level in the company required a deeply ingrained cultural and commercial awareness that only homegrown talents proved to possess. Due to this, most of the external hires left within a year.The target became clear: “Ensure that 80% of first level leaders, and their specialist-equivalent, can be assigned from within our own ranks”. And that’s what the young talent program helped achieve. Our Return on Investment-by-design process made the young talents highly visible at all managerial levels within the company: during the program. And that bore fruit. About halfway into the program about 95% of the participants had been promoted.

If there’s anything that drives my life and work it is this: to transform learning. To align it to the business. To ignite a ‘get-better’ mindset. To harvest its potential to transform the lives and potential of learners. To make money during the learning process: to bring it from cost to benefit. To design it for Return on Investment. To flourish human potential and business results.